A large column of smoke and flames was seen near Riyadh’s main airport on Saturday after explosions were heard overnight and Saudi authorities warned residents of a possible aerial attack.
Reuters footage and photographs showed thick black smoke rising near the airport, with the terminal, airport highway and surrounding facilities visible in the foreground. Flames could also be seen at one stage behind what appeared to be fuel storage tanks.
Saudi authorities had not immediately explained the cause of the smoke or responded to Reuters questions about the incident.
The kingdom’s civil defence sent emergency alerts to mobile phones overnight warning of a potential aerial threat in Riyadh and Al-Kharj, east of the capital. An all-clear was issued on Saturday morning.
A Reuters journalist in Riyadh’s Olaya district reported hearing several booms before the warning was lifted.
Saudi Arabia has issued aerial-threat alerts previously during the wider US-Iran conflict, but Saturday’s warnings were the first in Riyadh since tensions with Yemen’s Houthis sharply escalated in July.
The Houthis have launched repeated attacks against Saudi Arabia since announcing what they described as a naval blockade against Riyadh in July. Their operations have targeted Saudi vessels in the Red Sea as well as cities, energy facilities and shipping infrastructure.
The escalation has raised fresh concerns over oil exports and Red Sea shipping at a time when traffic through the Strait of Hormuz also remains severely disrupted.
On Friday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree accused Saudi Arabia of involvement in what he called “criminal attempts” in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and said the group would respond.
The Iran-aligned Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen and the country’s most heavily populated areas, also say Saudi aircraft have carried out hundreds of strikes against Houthi positions in recent days.
The group has expanded its control along Yemen’s Red Sea coast during a rapid military offensive this month.
The UN Security Council on Friday condemned continuing Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including strikes affecting civilian and energy infrastructure that it said had injured civilians, including women and children.
The council also condemned the Houthis’ broader military escalation in Yemen.
